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Who we are

With research staff from more than 70 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

Lilia Bliznashka

Lily Bliznashka is a Research Fellow in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit. Her research focuses on assessing the effectiveness of multi-input nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions and the mechanisms through which they work to improve maternal and child health and nutrition globally. She has worked in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Tanzania, and Uganda.

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What we do

Since 1975, IFPRI’s research has been informing policies and development programs to improve food security, nutrition, and livelihoods around the world.

Where we work

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Where we work

IFPRI currently has more than 480 employees working in over 70 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

Beyond Treatment: Integrated Strategies to Prevent Child Wasting and post-treatment Relapse

Organized by IFPRI, Edesia Nutrition Innovation Fund and Eleanor Crook Foundation
1:00-2:30 pm (Dakar/Bamako/Ouagadougou)

April 1, 2026

  • 9:00 – 10:30 am (America/New_York)
  • 3:00 – 4:30 pm (Europe/Amsterdam)
  • 6:30 – 8:00 pm (Asia/Kolkata)

Child wasting affects an estimated 42 million children at any given time, but over a year, between 240 and 295 million episodes of wasting occur.  Wasting, including severe wasting, is associated with approximately 850,000 child deaths annually and have livelong consequences for child health and development. Although effective outpatient treatment protocols exist, coverage remains below 30% in many settings. Even in the case of successful treatment children face a high risk of relapse in the months following their recovery.

According to the most recent WHO guideline on the prevention and management of child wasting, the evidence on what works to prevent child wasting and post-treatment relapse is scant. 

This webinar presents findings from the Integrated Research on Acute Malnutrition (IRAM) study conducted in Mali, examining how integrated approaches to prevention and treatment can reduce the burden of child wasting. The second part of the webinar presents results from a secondary analysis of two large longitudinal cluster-randomized controlled trials conducted in Burkina Faso and Mali, which investigated risk factors for post-treatment relapse and assessed the impact of preventive interventions aimed at reducing relapse after recovery from wasting.

This webinar is supported by the Edesia Nutrition Innovation Fund and the Eleanor Crook Foundation.


L’émaciation infantile touche environ 42 millions d’enfants à tout moment, mais sur un an, entre 240 et 295 millions d’épisodes d’émaciation se produisent.  L’émaciation ou malnutrition aigüe, y compris la malnutrition aigüe sévère, est associée à environ 850 000 décès d’enfants chaque année et a des conséquences durables sur la santé et le développement des enfants. Bien que des protocoles de traitement ambulatoire efficaces existent, la couverture reste inférieure à 30 % dans de nombreux contextes. Même dans le cas d’un traitement réussi, les enfants présentent un risque élevé de rechute dans les mois suivant leur rétablissement.

Selon la dernière directive de l’OMS sur la prévention et la gestion de l’émaciation infantile, les preuves sur ce qui fonctionne pour prévenir l’émaciation infantile et la rechute post-traitement sont limitées. 

Ce webinaire présente les résultats de l’étude IRAM menée au Mali, qui examine comment des approches intégrées de prévention et de traitement peuvent réduire le fardeau de la l’émaciation infantile. La seconde partie du webinaire présente les résultats d’une analyse secondaire de deux grands essais contrôlés randomisés longitudinaux en grappes menés au Burkina Faso et au Mali, qui ont étudié les facteurs de risque de rechute post-traitement et évalué l’impact des interventions préventives visant à réduire la rechute après la guérison de l’émaciation.

Ce webinaire est soutenu par le Fond d’Innovation Edesia Nutrition et la Fondation Eleanor Crook.

Speakers
  • Rebecca Brander, Research Fellow, Nutrition, Diets, and Health unit, IFPRI
  • Lieven Huybregts, Senior Research Fellow, Nutrition, Diets, and Health unit, IFPRI
Panel members 
  • Djeneba Coulibaly, Senior Researcher, National Institute of Public Health, Bamako Mali
  • Cesaire Ouedraogo, Regional Nutrition Advisor, Helen Keller International
  • Grace Heymsfield, Nutrition Researcher, International Rescue Committee, New York, USA
Moderator
  • Elodie Becquey, Senior Research Fellow, Nutrition, Diets, and Health unit, IFPRI